As the sanding, painting, and clear-coating makes slow and steady progress, design work continues. This latest render now includes structure design for the wall units, curio carts, and altar atop the ziggurat.

My fancy new router bit also arrived today, along with some paint samples I ordered (which will come in handy when I get that far along haha). Part of me wants to just book some time on the shopbot to start working with the new bit as soon as possible, but I want to wait til I finish with the cart and with redesigning a few more parts and tweaking my design files.

Oo . . . You could give yourself a headboard on your bed platform. Something to prop pillows against, and you can stick your canteen and flashlight on it, or other things you might wanna get to in the dark . . . glasses, saline, whathaveyou. Then you have less need for a bedside table.

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

last year i had crap in piles everywhere. this is going to be a good opportunity to organize!shudderingby Yg

really coming along nicely CnM!! (do you mind if I abbrviate?) I've also seen some cool organizers, made from sheets of cloth with tons of different size pockets sewn on, they could just hand from hooks above.

last year i had crap in piles everywhere. this is going to be a good opportunity to organize!

Oh, Good!

ygmir wrote:really coming along nicely CnM!! (do you mind if I abbrviate?) I've also seen some cool organizers, made from sheets of cloth with tons of different size pockets sewn on, they could just hand from hooks above.

Oh, yeah! Those organizers look positively covetous for anyone with a wall or a door. IKEA has the narrow vertical canvas ones for shoes or sweaters, Ross is good for some of the ones with clear plastic windows . . . Target, too.

I'm in a tent, so I can't use the door-mounted systems, but I'm going to buy a clear ~$10 plastic 3-drawer storage thing for toiletries, towels, and other things. I have previously used a tv-tray as a bedside table, but it became a repository for all small items every time I entered my tent in addition to the staples like saline, kleenex, etc. I was always knocking stuff off of it, or not having enough room. I think a drawer system will be better for me. I will pre-pack it, and tape it shut with packing tape on the road.

I also want a shower caddy basket, because you don't realize how much stuff you use in a shower 'til you walk 20 feet to one holding your soap and shampoo and conditioner, etc, etc. And the items get all soap-slick and gross in a plastic bag. Something that air-dries will be better.

mdmf007 wrote:We just finished refitting 10 of these things for housing -

Those are beautiful!

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

We use a company called Joiner systems .com in Toronto, but there are many that do this. They provide everything you need as far as wall panels, ceilings and all the trim necessary to make a clean fit up. The ten boxes I just had refitted are a mix of 32 and 34 foot boxes with one 38 in the mix.

In my opinion ISO boxes are great, but he biggest drawback is refitting. Due to their incredibly low cost of as low as 2k for a solid box they are tempting to fit. The drawback is that the interior of an ISO box and standard dimensioned anything in the construction trades dont mix. Every sheet of wall panel and stud needs to be cut, there are water tight integrity issues so half of a job is in box prep - even a brand new box will leak once you start working on it and in the most inconvenient location. Without windows, they also feel like caves to me.

Here are a few more pics so you can see how this stuff comes together. I received a few PM's asking about the process and materials used so in a nutshell here it goes:

Joiner costs more at the outset, but is cut to your dimensions out of the box to fit tight in the rails provided and you will save time in installation. The wall panels are 1 inch thick and insulated

1. choose box - get the most solid box you can and prep it well. After stripping interiors go inside, shut doors and let your eyes acclimate. with a spray can walk around and mark any light you see - there are always pinholes even in a new box. Seal all holes.

2. Clean and prep the interior

3. Clean and prep the exteriorOut of sandblasting.into paint.

4. Install insulation and foil wrap it. without the foil wrapping condensation will build up on your new clean and prepared walls. Condensation leads to mold and mildew and a funky smell no one wants to be around. As well as sub floor. This photo shows the channels for the wall and ceiling panels installed. 4 inches on the walls, ceiling and floor with 1 more in the panels

5.Wall panels going in - this is where the prep work and accurate layout of the channels makes all the difference. Putting the panels in takes an afternoon. You can see the channel at the top that holds the panels in. There is a corresponding channel at the floor as well. To install panels.a. After interior prepped install channels top and bottom at desired location - we leave 1/2 inch gap between the insulation foil and the wall panels - this allows for air to move and keep the walls dry inside. Also leaves room for wires to be pulled.b. The channels must be in one plane both vertically and horizontally. This is where you can account for twists in the box and straighten out your walls inside. A laser is your friend here. As well as a plumb line and patience. Measure as many times as you canc. tack the channels in with 6 inch spacing.d. Panels install by lifting top edge of panel into top channel lifting panel up, and sliding down into the floor channel - thats it. Kick trim will lock it in or a screw or two.

6. Finished Flooring - should be one of the last things to go in, it takes the most abuse with panels sliding around, trim tracks, welding splatter for the channels - etc. Preserve your floor and install it last. The subfloor can be seen here and is the first step in reconstruction. The openings in the middle of the walls open into other boxes with seals in between for a watertight / weather tight and insulated connection.

7. Ceiling panels go in the same way - channels and a nice tight fit. This box goes to the right of the box above.

8. Outfit as necessary - this box is a kitchen unit.

9. Pros -a. Relatively fast - one person with all the materials and a decent set of tools (grinders, small wire feed, table saw, sawzall, etc) can get great results. I have the advantage of a blast shop and paint booth, but you can do the same in your yard with a wire wheel. without the blast and painting included there is 110 man hours on average in a box.b. Solid - we must build these to last - I cannot afford to have a unit go out of whack while sitting in the arctic or freeze. The insulation you see here is ridiculous. you will still want some in the lower 48, but a 2000 watt heater is all that is needed to keep these boxes warm when it is -40 outside. We expect to get 15 years of service in the marine environment.c. Multi use - all of our gear is deployable to jobsites from the arctic to the Sahara well insulated keeps warm, and cool-

Cons:a. Cost. With the need to travel for multi use I have to build to IMO, ABS, USCG and some other specifications. That adds on 120k each unit to the build - not in materials but in approval paperwork and materials tracking from source to end point. The boxes above cost 150k to build the galley was 200k. I could do it in my backyard without agency approvals (or union labor) for 1/4 of that though.b. The panels are unforgiving - it is extremely difficult to stretch a panel and they do not cut cleanly, so measure carefully and measure carefully again. Joiner cuts them with a water jet to the dimensions you ask for and within 10 thousands of an inch. c. No two boxes are the same - measure every box as a separate project!!!! do not think that any 2 40 foot ISO boxes are the same, while they are close, they are not spot on.d. Doors are where your going to leak - use good doors and forget about getting a seal on the barn doors that come on a box. e. Transport - you will need a stout trailer - the galley above weighs 22,000 pounds dressed out. A ford F350 can do it easily, but there are only so many trailers out there that can fit a 40 foot box and fit on your buddies Dodge truck.

those low rise containers are a great idea! i need to make the most of every inch of space. those posts at the end of the bed will have a shelf. and i plan to keep building up and over so the whole trailer has pvc racks

Nope, it's not going to e burned, it's a modular design concept and will hopefully make many returns to the playa - either in ziggurat/curio cart form or to be used in the creation of other structures.

Whew, while I am all for burning everything - some projects are too cool for that. Yours coming back in different iterations and forms is awesome. From the looks of the build quality it should be coming back for years...

Start with three different brands of powerchairs so that NONE OF THE DAMN PARTS ARE INTERCHANGABLE@#$%^&*()_+!!!!!!!

This project requires two M10 1.25 coupler nuts.

These do not exist in our universe.

I wanted to take all the rear drive wheels and "stack" them for more traction.

Not only are all the rims different, but the hole in the middle of each rim veries by as much as 1.5"s.

One set of tires is 1/4" larger than the others.

It started as this.

I put the larger tire in the middle of the "sandwitch" so that when driveing on firm ground, it's the only tire in contact, but if you hit powder the other two tires keep the chair from sinking and getting stuck.

Now they look like this.

Now to build some WIDE casters for the front wheels so they don't plow into the soft playa.

FIGJAM wrote:I put the larger tire in the middle of the "sandwitch" so that when driveing on firm ground, it's the only tire in contact, but if you hit powder the other two tires keep the chair from sinking and getting stuck.

Master FIGJAM, has it slipped your mind that I work in a machine shop, and that I live not very far from you?

(I'll call you tomorrow with the tracking number for the couplers.)

I'd love to help get TinyMystic's ChairyYacht on the Playa! If she can do the terrain at SaguaroMan, with the soft sand pocked with thick clumps of grass, the Playa will be a joy! (I was truly impressed by her spirit!)

Oh, and I must say, I'd have posted a few SaguaroMan pics, but you seem to have covered that with much better shots of the same things!! Thanks for that!!!!

FIGJAM wrote:I put the larger tire in the middle of the "sandwitch" so that when driveing on firm ground, it's the only tire in contact, but if you hit powder the other two tires keep the chair from sinking and getting stuck.

Now they look like this.

you crafty old wizard

Hahaha!

I am similarly amazed. That is so @#$%ing cool.

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger